Boomer blurbs: Forget genes

Thursday

Sep 24, 2009 at 12:01 AMSep 24, 2009 at 6:41 AM

Staying healthy, savvy centenarians and more.

Compiled by Danielle Braff

Forget genes

A recent study of a man who died at the age of 114 revealed his longevity wasn’t due to genetics. The man, who lived in Spain, had a healthy lifestyle, a Mediterranean diet and regular physical activity — all of which contributed to his lifespan, according to the study published in the Journal of Gerontology.

Video games all the rage

Not surprisingly, more than half of Americans older than 18 play video games. But what may be surprising is that 23 percent of those ages 65 and older play, too, according to the Pew Research Center. Twenty percent of adults ages 30 to 49 play, and 19 percent of adults ages 50 to 64 play.

H.R. 2688

The Empowered at Home Act, H.R. 2688, would provide incentives and greater opportunities for states to expand access to home- and community-based services. More than 1 million Americans are living in nursing homes, but 89 percent would prefer to receive the same services in their own homes, according to a study done by the AARP Public Policy Institute.

It’s good to be a boomer

Baby boomers as a group earn about $2 trillion annually. That accounts for more than 77 percent of all of the United States’ financial assets. What do they do with all that dough? Boomers reported having more than 50 percent discretionary authority in government and private organizations.

Some savvy centenarians

A poll of 100 people who are 100 years old found that many centenarians are totally hip. The Evercare 100@100 survey found that 29 percent say they use cell phones, 7 percent use e-mail, and 1 percent send text messages. Three percent have dated someone through an online dating site.

$2,695

That’s the amount of money spent annually on health care by people ages 45 to 54, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ numbers from 2004, the latest available. The bureau recommends that Americans budget more money each year because health care increases significantly the older you get. People age 55 to 64 spent $3,262 annually, and those age 65 and older spent $3,899.

10

About 10 percent (or 3.6 million) of all seniors are living at the poverty level. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the poverty rate for seniors has remained the same during the past four years. Other age groups studied have higher poverty rates.

1946

According to a MetLife study, 77 percent of people born in 1946 say they’re in good or excellent health. Their net worth is $257,000, and their average annual income is $71,400. While they are officially baby boomers, 17 percent don’t like that term.

74

A new study published in PLoS Medicine shows life expectancy has increased by seven years among men and six years among women. Life expectancy for men increased from 67 years old in 1961 to 74 years old in 1999. For women, it increased from 74 to 80 during those years.